I endured the toothache for a week until I couldn’t take it anymore. On my only day off for the week, I went to the health post (clinic).

During my most recent spiritual retreat last weekend, we shared an experience that, for me, was a defining moment.

I’m still deeply interested in remaining culturally Cuban, fully aware of the weight that the word “culture” carries.

My relationship with Brazilian culture was always more or less the same as most Cubans have, influenced by what I saw in the soap operas.

Brazil continues to be a country whose land borders remain open, especially those with Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia.

On December 27, 2022, we left Havana on our journey towards Brazil. It was excessively cold, even for winter.

The first time I thought about leaving Cuba was in 2016. I remember it was night, and I was swimming in the pool of the Hotel Panamá,